Sexual and physical torment

Billy Connolly has spoken out for the first time about the sexual and physical abuse he suffered as a child.

Abandoned by his mother, beaten by his aunt and molested by his father, the comedian bottled up his emotions for years.

But he eventually admitted them to his wife, psychologist and former performer Pamela Stephenson, who has now written the definitive biography of the 59-year-old.

In a frank interview to coincide with the serialisation of the book, Billy, in The Observer from today, Connolly says he still loves the memory of his father, William, who died in 1989.

"It was disloyal of him to do that to me," he said. "But there were other facets of his character that were great."

In the biography, Connolly tells of how his father interfered between the ages of 10 and 15 on the sofa-bed they had to share in their Glasgow tenement.

"I remember it happening a lot, not every night, but I would pray for the holidays because then we had separate beds," he said.

Stephenson says the experience led to sexual confusion, and her husband had a few furtive and uncomfortable homosexual experiences early in his life, before coming to the conclusion he was heterosexual.

Connolly also used to dread being touched, the book reveals, and if anyone came within 18 inches, he would flinch, screaming: "Don't fucking touch me."

Physical abuse at the hands of his aunt Mona, who looked after the young Billy when his mum walked out on him at the age of three - locking the door on Billy and his sister Florence, who was five.

Mona used to humiliate her nephew, rubbing his soiled underpants in his face, whacking his legs and beating his head with high-heeled shoes.

Connolly admits his revelations may upset surviving members of his family (his mother has also died), but says: "I don't mind the truth. People have to live with it, however hurtful. I've no worries about it."

Billy is published on October 1, priced £17.99, butis available from Amazon, priced £14.39. Serialisation continues in The Observer over the next two weeks.

Published: 23 Sep 2001